With its abundance of style icons – think Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor – the 50s gave us a lot for which we could be grateful on the fashion front. From Christian Dior's laced waist, his hyper-feminine elegance and a whole lot of gingham prints, one can say with certainty that the influence of the 50s casts a fabulously long shadow. While some key looks are instantly recognizable as coming straight from the time the word "teenager" and rock & roll born culture were coined, others may be surprising.
Cropped denim for example? A classic Audrey Hepburn look. Then there is the bandeau bikini made famous by Brigitte Bardot in Cannes and the beach accessories from 2018 that were first introduced by Alfred Hitchcock's over-glamorous movie stars – Grace Kelly. Fascinated? Keep scrolling and browse through our gallery of the most famous 50s outfits we all still wear today.
In February 1947, Christian Dior showed his La Coralle collection in Paris, which defined the silhouette of the waist for the coming decade. Back then, it was known as a new look – a flaky, hyper-feminine counterpoint to minimalist post-war dressing. Today it is known as Fit and Flare, a perennial favorite among wedding guests in summer.
We owe it to James Dean and Marlon Brando that jeans became mainstream in the 1950s. Formerly part of the uniform for manual labor, the rise of youth culture and rock & # 39; n & # 39; roll denim brought into the fashion fold. And thank God for that!
Fashion rediscovered its funny side in the 1950s, and prints were big news – especially the gingham checks, which we are all still obsessed with.
Grace Kelly in Alfred Hitchcock's rear window, Deborah Kerr in From Here to Eternity – the glamor by the pool of 2018 owes a lot to the screen sirens of the 50s. From figure-flattering swimsuits to oversized sunglasses, large straw hats, and silk hair wraps, reaching the beach without accessories was not an option.
Think about summer at Rydell High, Sandra Dee in front of the leather and lots of volume. The A-line midi skirt became a uniform for fashion girls in the 1950s that we still wear to work today.
Bikinis hit the beaches for the first time in 1946, but were still considered daring; It wasn't until the mid-1950s that they really started to prevail. Brigitte Bardot, an early supporter of “skimpy” beachwear, wore a bandeau bikini during the Cannes Film Festival in 1953 and caused increasing demand – and we are still buying in 2018.
Loved by the 50s jet set, high-waisted shorts were essential resort clothing – think of weekends in Cannes and honeymoons in Acapulco – while teenagers quickly adopted them as a chic summer uniform. We are sure to add the look to this year's Christmas packing list, which is worn with a short or incorporated blouse Ă la Norma Shearer.
Audrey Hepburn may have cemented the status of the LBD, but short cigarette pants that only flew over the ankle became her second trademark. And they're super chic – we're not surprised that shorts are everywhere again.
Grace Kelly became the Princess of Monaco in 1956 and walked down the aisle in a Helen Rose lace wedding dress that was to inspire brides (including the Duchess of Cambridge) for decades.
While Dior worked for fit-and-flare, Givenchy and Balenciaga provided looser cuts (and shorter hem lines) in the form of sack dresses. Cue Joan Collins looks super chic, which ultimately inspired the layers, minis and sweater dresses that our closets are full of.
Marilyn Monroe may be known for many things, but her status as a master of pencil skirts cannot be denied. In a decade where elegance and glamor were top priorities, the pencil skirt became a fancier, sexier, and more modern alternative to full skirts – a legacy that is still standing, with pencil skirts on all the runways.
The ultimate cool girls, judies (also known as teddy girls) avoided flaky fashion for shapes inspired by men's fashion. The uniform? Rolled-up trousers with ballerinas or brogues, finished with men's shirts and blazers, which can often be found in thrift stores and are customized at home.
The term “cocktail dress” coined by Christian Dior originally describes a calf-length dress that is worn for meetings between 6 and 8 pm. Although the rules have eased somewhat (and we're sure they never apply to Elizabeth Taylor), the glamor of the short and chic cocktail coat lives on.
Next up is the characteristic Princess Diana outfit that has just become relevant again.
This post was originally published on Who What Wear UK.
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